Wireless data-transferring apparatus

ABSTRACT

A wireless data-transferring apparatus performs wireless communication with an information-processing terminal. The data-transferring apparatus includes a unit for receiving broadcast program data, a unit for compression-encoding the broadcast program data received by the receiving unit, and a communications control device. The communications control device is configured to perform data-transfer between an external network and the information-processing terminal, in accordance with requests transmitted by radio signal from the information-processing terminal, and to transmit, by radio signal, data received from the external network and the compression-encoded broadcast program data to the information-processing terminal in a time-divided fashion when the communications control device receives the compression-encoded broadcast program data provided in the apparatus.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priorityfrom prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-020560, filed Jan. 29,2002.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention relates to a wireless data-transferringapparatus that performs wireless communication withinformation-processing terminals such as personal computers and personaldigital assistants (PDAs).

[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0005] In recent years, information-processing technology and thenetwork technology have advanced. Thanks to the technology advance, homenetworks have been developed to achieve communication between electronicapparatuses, such as household TVs, audio apparatuses, and the like.

[0006] Japanese Patent Application KOKAI Publication No. 2001-358966discloses a TV reception system. In the TV reception system, a TVprogram received at the station-selecting apparatus is transmitted byradio to a dedicated display unit, which displays the TV program. The TVreception system can be connected to the Internet. The station-selectingapparatus includes a station-selecting unit for receiving the TVprogram, a wireless communication unit for communicating with thededicated display unit, and a modem unit being connected to theInternet. A CPU provided in the station-selecting apparatus controls allthese units.

[0007] However, the station-selecting apparatus cannot be connected tothe Internet while a TV program is being transmitted to the display, anda TV program cannot be transmitted to the display while the systemremains connected to the Internet. Inevitably, the display displays onlya Web page or the TV program at a time.

[0008] Recently, broadband communication lines have come into use toconnect electronic apparatuses to the Internet. Thus, more and moreelectronic apparatuses is are kept connected to the Internet by thebroadband communication lines. It is therefore demanded that a newsystem be provided which enables people to browse Web pages on theInternet while enjoying a TV program.

[0009] Furthermore, it will soon become important to display TV programson the display monitors of information-processing terminals such as PDAsand notebook-type personal computers. A system that transmits TVprograms by radio signal to the information-processing terminals, anddisplays TV programs on the display monitors of the terminals, not onthe dedicated display unit, is desirable. Most information-processingterminals used today operate on the Windows system. Hence, TV programsmust be displayed on the display monitors of these terminals in the sameway as application programs, at any position desired and in any sizedesired.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] An object of the present invention is to provide a wirelessdata-transferring apparatus that can transfer both broadcast programdata such as TV programs and Internet content such as Web pages toinformation-processing terminals at the same time.

[0011] According to an embodiment of the present invention, there isprovided a wireless data-transferring apparatus for performing wirelesscommunication with an information-processing terminal, comprising: meansfor receiving broadcast program data; and a communications controldevice configured to perform data-transfer between an external networkand the information-processing terminal, in accordance with requeststransmitted by radio signal from the information-processing terminal,and to transmit, by radio signal, data received from the externalnetwork and the broadcast program data to the information-processingterminal in a time-divided fashion when the communications controldevice receives the broadcast program data provided in the apparatus.

[0012] Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be setforth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious fromthe description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Theobjects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained bymeans of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed outhereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

[0013] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in andconstitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of theinvention, and together with the general description given below and thedetailed description of the embodiments given below, serve to explainthe principles of the invention.

[0014]FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a home network system thatincorporates a wireless data-transferring apparatus that is anembodiment of this invention;

[0015]FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the wireless data-transferringapparatus;

[0016]FIG. 3 is a diagram explaining how Web content data and broadcastprogram data flow in the wireless data-transferring apparatus;

[0017]FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating how Web content data andbroadcast program data flow in another manner in the wirelessdata-transferring apparatus;

[0018]FIG. 5 is a diagram showing how the wireless data-transferringapparatus transfers the broadcast program data prior to the Web contentdata;

[0019]FIG. 6 is a diagram explaining how an information-processingterminal simultaneously displays broadcast program data and Web contentdata, both transmitted from the wireless data-transferring apparatus;

[0020]FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating how the wirelessdata-transferring apparatus transmits broadcast program data to twoinformation-processing terminals at the same time; and

[0021]FIG. 8 is a diagram explaining a sequence of steps that thewireless data-transferring apparatus performs to enable the user toenjoy broadcast programs and Web content, by using aninformation-processing terminal.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] An embodiment of the present invention will be described, withreference to the accompanying drawings.

[0023]FIG. 1 shows a home network system provided in a house andincorporating a wireless data-transferring apparatus that is anembodiment of the present invention.

[0024] The home network system includes a wireless AV (Audio Video)station 101, a TV receiver 102, notebook-type portable personalcomputers 103 and 104, and a desktop-type personal computer 105. Thewireless AV station 101 is a wireless data-transferring apparatus thatfunctions as home network server. The station 101 can transfer, by radiosignal, both broadcast content such as TV programs and Internet contentsuch as Web pages to the portable personal computers 103, 104.

[0025] The wireless AV station 101 is connected to an external globalnetwork (external network) such as the Internet 12 by a communicationsline 13. The communications line 13 may be, for example, an ISDN(Integrated Services Digital Network), an ADSL (Asymmetric DigitalSubscriber Line), or a CATV (Cable TV) line. The wireless AV station 101is connected to the information-processing terminals (including thecomputers 103 to 105), by a wired or wireless network that is providedin the home network system.

[0026] The notebook-type portable personal computers 103 and 104 includea wireless communications device. They may be therefore connected, byradio, to the wireless AV station 101. The desktop-type personalcomputer 105 is connected to the wireless AV station 101 by a wired LAN(Local Area Network).

[0027] The wireless AV station 101 connects the personal computers 103to 105 to the Internet 12. The station 101 accomplishes datacommunication between the Web sites on the Internet 12 and the personalcomputers 103 to 105.

[0028] A TV antenna 11 is provided outside the house. The antenna cableextends from the TV antenna 11 into the house. In the house, the antennacable is connected to the wireless AV station 101 and the TV receiver102. The TV receiver 102 and the wireless AV station 101 may thereforereceive and play back the TV broadcast program data broadcast from a TVbroadcast station. The wireless AV station 101 receives a broadcastprogram data and sends the data, by the wireless LAN, to thenotebook-type portable personal computers 103 and 104. It sends thebroadcast program data, by the wired LAN, to the desktop-type personalcomputer 105, too.

[0029] The wireless AV station 101 performs various functions, includinga wireless router function, a TV function, a TV record function, and aremote-control function. These functions will be described below.

[0030] Wireless Router Function

[0031] This function is to connect each of the portable personalcomputers 103 and 104 to the Internet 12 via the wireless LAN to achievedata communication between any Web site on the Internet 12 and each ofthe portable personal computers 103 and 104. Any person in the house mayoperate the notebook-type portable personal computer 103 or 104 tobrowse Web pages on the Internet 12 at any place in the house, where theportable personal computer resides. This is because the portablepersonal computer 103 and 104 may be connected by radio to the wirelessAV station 101 that is connected to the Internet 12 by the communicationline 13.

[0032] TV Function

[0033] The TV function is to transmit any TV broadcast program datareceived at the wireless AV station 101 to the information-processingterminals via the wired LAN or the wireless LAN. The user can enjoy theTV programs being broadcast at present, at any place in the house, onlyif he or she operates the notebook-type portable personal computer 103or 104.

[0034] TV Record Function

[0035] The wireless AV station 101 incorporates a magnetic disk drive(e.g., hard-disk drive; HDD) that serves as a large-capacity storagedevice for recording broadcast program data. The station 101 can recordthe broadcast program data being broadcast at present, whiletransmitting this program data to the information-processing terminals.Moreover, the station 101 may receive the broadcast program data beingbroadcast at present and record the same in the magnetic disk drive,while transmitting any broadcast program data stored in the magneticdisk drive to the information-processing apparatuses. Further, thestation 101 may output the broadcast program data stored in the diskdrive to the TV receiver 102, to display the broadcast program data onthe TV screen of the TV receiver 102.

[0036] Remote-Control Function

[0037] The user can remote-control the TV function and TV recordfunction of the wireless AV station 101 by operating the personalcomputer 103, 104 or 105. Alternatively, the user may operate aremote-control unit designed to operate the station 101, thereby toremote control the TV function and TV record function of the station101.

[0038] The wireless AV station 101 will be described, with reference toFIG. 2.

[0039] As FIG. 2 depicts, the wireless AV station 101 includes threemajor components, i.e., a tuner/MPEG module 21, a CPU module 31, and acommunications module 41.

[0040] The tuner/MPEG module 21, CPU module 31 and communications module41 are connected to a bus 20, which may be a PCI bus. A hard disk drive(HDD) 51 is connected to the PCI bus 20, too.

[0041] The tuner/MPEG module 21 receives TV broadcast program data,performs compression-encoding to compress the broadcast program data,and decodes the compressed program data, thus reproducing the TV programdata. As FIG. 2 shows, the tuner/MPEG module 21 includes a TV tuner 211,an NTSC (National TV Standards Committee) decoder 212, an audiomultiplex decoder 213, an audio A/D converter (audio ADC) 214, an MPEG2encoder 215, a RAM 216, a PCI bus interface (PCI-IF) 217, an MPEG2decoder 218, a RAM 219, and an audio D/A converter (audio DAC) 220.

[0042] A TV antenna connector 301 connects the TV tuner 211 to the TVantenna cable. The TV tuner 211 is a device that receives the TVbroadcast program data on the channel that the user has selected byoperating the personal computer 103, 104 or 105 or the remote-controlunit. The broadcast program data on the channel selected, received bythe TV tuner 211, is sent to the NTSC decoder 212. The NTSC decoder 212extracts a video signal (moving-image signal) and an audio signal fromthe broadcast program data. If necessary, the NTSC decoder 212 convertsthese signals to digital data items.

[0043] The NTSC decoder 212 is connected to a video input terminal 302.The NTSC decoder 212 can therefore receive video signals from anexternal video device such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) player or aVCR (Video Cassette Recorder). The audio multiplex decoder 213 decodesthe audio multiplex signal superposed on the broadcast program data. Thesignal thus decoded is supplied to the audio A/D converter (audio ADC)214. The A/D converter 214 converts the signal to audio digital data.The A/D converter 214 is connected to an audio input terminal 303.Hence, the A/D converter 214 can receive audio signals from an externalaudio device.

[0044] The MPEG2 encoder 215 receives the video data from the NTSCdecoder 212 and the audio digital data from the audio A/D converter 214.It encodes the video data and the audio data, compressing them, inaccordance with the MPEG2 standards. The RAM 216 is used as a workingmemory that assists the MPEG2 encoder 215 to encode the input dataitems. The broadcast program data is converted to an MPEG2 data streamby the MPEG2 encoder 215.

[0045] The PCI bus interface (PCI-IF) 217 is an interface that connectsthe tuner/MPEG module 21 to the PCI bus 20. The interface 217 thereforeenables the tuner/MPEG module 21 to communicate with the CPU module 31and HDD 51 through the PCI bus 20. The PCI bus interface 217incorporates registers that the CPU module 31 can access. The registershold commands supplied by CPU module 31. The TV tuner 211 and the MPEG2encoder 215 are controlled by the commands held in the registers.

[0046] The MPEG2 decoder 218 decodes the broadcast program data encodedin the MPEG2 format. To playback, for example, broadcast program datarecorded in the HDD 51, by means of the TV receiver 102, the data isfirst read from the HDD 51 and supplied via the PCI bus interface 217 tothe MPEG2 decoder 218. The MPEG2 decoder 218 decodes (expands) thebroadcast program data. The RAM 219 functions as a working memory thatassists the MPEG2 decoder 218 to decode the broadcast program data. TheMPEG2 decoder 218 operates under the control of the commands held in theregisters provided in the PCI bus interface 217.

[0047] The video data decoded by the MPEG2 decoder 218 is supplied tothe TV receiver 102 via a video output terminal 305. The audio datadecoded by the MPEG2 decoder 218 is converted, if necessary, to analogsignal, by the audio D/A converter (audio DAC) 220, and supplied from anaudio output terminal 304 to the external audio/video device.

[0048] The broadcast program data decoded by the MPEG2 decoder 218 maybe input to the MPEG2 encoder 215 and encoded therein. This process isperformed in preparation for a down-conversion that changes the transferrate (bit rate) of the encoded broadcast program data recorded in theHDD 51, to a transfer rate dedicated to wireless transmission.

[0049] Note that the transfer rate of the broadcast program data encodedby the MPEG2 encoder 215 depends on the desired image quality of thebroadcast program data that is to be recorded in the HDD 51. If thedesired image quality is high, the stream (MPEG2 stream) of the encodedbroadcast program data having a very high transfer rate will be recordedin the HDD 51. Such an MPEG2 stream may not be transmitted in real timein the communication band of the wireless LAN.

[0050] In this case, the down-conversion is automatically carried out tolower the transfer rate of the MPEG2 stream to the transfer ratededicated to wireless transmission via the wireless LAN.

[0051] The CPU module 31 controls the TV tuner 211, MPEG2 encoder 215and MPEG2 decoder 218 of the tuner/MPEG module 21. The CPU module 31also controls the writing and reading of data into and from the HDD 51.The CPU module 31 communicates with the communications module 41. Thus,it can receive commands concerning the playback or the recording of thebroadcast program, from the personal computers 103 to 105, and cantransfer the MPEG2 stream to the communications module 41 via PCI bus20. (The MPEG2 stream is the broadcast program data that should besupplied to the computers 103 to 105.) The CPU module 31 includes a CPU311, a North bridge 312, and a main memory 313. The North bridge 312connects the CPU bus of the CPU 311 to the PCI bus 20.

[0052] The communications module 41 is a communication control devicethat may operate as a wireless LAN router by itself. The communicationsmodule 41 may be connected, by radio, to the personal computers 103 and104, and connected to the personal computer 105 via the wired LAN. Thecommunications module 41 may connect the personal computers 103 to 105to the Internet 12, in accordance with access commands transmitted fromthe personal computers 103 to 105. The communications module 41 may thusachieve data-transfer between the Internet 12 and the personal computers103 to 105. The module 41 performs all process of transferring databetween the Internet 12 and each of the computers 103 to 105. The CPUmodule 31 is not used at all to transfer data between the Internet 12and any personal computer.

[0053] As FIG. 2 shows, the communications module 41 includes a controlprocessor 411, a RAM 412, a ROM 413, a network controller 414, awireless LAN device 415, a WAN connector 501, and a LAN connector 502.

[0054] The WAN (Wide Area Network) connector 501 is a terminal for beingconnected to a global network, and is used to transfer data between thecommunications module 41 and the Internet 12. The connector 501 isconnected to the communication line 13 via, for example, a modem. TheLAN connector 502 is connected to the wired LAN provided in the house.

[0055] The network controller 414 is a network control device thatcontrols the transfer of data between the communications module 41 andthe Internet 12 through the WAN connector 501, and the transfer of databetween the module 41 and the household wired LAN through the LANconnector 502.

[0056] The wireless LAN device 415 is a wireless communications devicethat accomplishes the transfer of data between the module 41 and each ofthe personal computers 103 and 104, through the wireless LAN. That is,the wireless LAN device 415 achieves the transfer of data via an antenna416. The device 415 may be one that conforms to the IEEE 802.11bstandard, the IEEE 802.11a standard, or the like.

[0057] The control processor 411 controls the network controller 414 andthe wireless LAN device 415 to control the transfer of data between theInternet 12 and each of the personal computers 103 and 104. To be morespecific, the control processor 411 performs IP masquerade function, NAT(Network Address Translation) function, DHCP (Dynamic Host ConfigurationProtocol) function, and the like.

[0058] The control processor 411 is connected to the PCI bus 20. Thus,the processor 411 can send commands to the CPU 311 through the PCI bus20, the commands are concerning the viewing of the broadcast programsand received from the personal computers 103 and 104 via the wirelessdevice 415. Further, the processor 411 may supply commands received fromthe personal computer 105 and concerning the viewing of the broadcastprograms, to the CPU 311 through the PCI bus 20.

[0059] The control processor 411 transmits a broadcast program data tothe personal computer that has demanded the broadcast program data,through the wireless LAN device 415 or the network controller 414, whenit receives the broadcast program data from the CPU 311 via PCI bus 20.The transmitting of the broadcast program data to the personal computeris performed in parallel with the data-transfer between the personalcomputer and the Internet 12.

[0060] Assume that a person is browsing Web pages on the Internet 12 byusing of the personal computer 103 that may be connected by radio to thecommunications module 41. To transmit the broadcast program data thathas been demanded from the personal computer 103, to the personalcomputer 103, the control processor 411 controls the wireless LAN device415 so that the Web content data received from a Web server on theInternet 12 and the broadcast program data encoded by the tuner/MPEGmodule 21 may be transmitted to the personal computer 103 in atime-divided fashion. More specifically, the control processor 411multiplexes the Web content data and the broadcast program data encoded,generating time-division multiplex data. The time-division multiplexdata is transmitted by radio to the personal computer 103. Namely, theWeb content data and the broadcast program data are transmitted to thecomputer 103 as data items independent of each other. Therefore, thepersonal computer 103 can simultaneously display the Web content dataand the broadcast program data, by use of two application programs fordisplaying them. The window of the Web content data may be freelychanged in position and size by the application program for displayingthe Web content. So may be changed the window of the broadcast programby the application program for displaying the broadcast program.

[0061] The function of the control processor 411, described above, isimplemented by the firmware that is stored in the ROM 413.

[0062] It will be explained how the Web content data and the TVbroadcast program data are transferred within the wireless AV station101 (i.e., wireless data-transferring apparatus), with reference to FIG.3.

[0063]FIG. 3 shows how these data items are transferred from thewireless AV station 101 to the personal computer 103.

[0064] The personal computer 103 may generate an access command for theconnection of the computer 103 to the Internet 12. The wireless LANdevice 415 receives this command through the wireless LAN. The commandis transferred to the control processor 411. The control processor 411determines that the command is one for the connection of the computer103 to the Internet 12. The processor 411 controls the networkcontroller 414 and the wireless LAN device 415, connecting the personalcomputer 103 to a Web server included in the Internet 12. Thus, thetransfer of data between the personal computer 103 and the Web server isstarted.

[0065] The data that the Web server should receive is transmitted fromthe personal computer 103 to the Internet 12 via the wireless LAN device415, control processor 411, network controller 414, and WAN connector501. On the other hand, the Web content data is transmitted from the Webserver on the Internet 12 to the wireless AV station 101. In thewireless AV station 101, the content data goes through the WAN connector501, network controller 414, control processor 411, and wireless LANdevice 415, and is transmitted by radio from the wireless LAN device 415to the personal computer 103.

[0066] Thus, the transfer of data between the personal computer 103 andthe Internet 12 is carried out by the components of the communicationsmodule 41. Therefore, the Web content data received from the Internet 12is not transferred on the PCI bus 20.

[0067] When the personal computer 103 issues a command for viewing of aTV broadcast program data, the command is transmitted to the wirelessLAN device 415. The wireless LAN device 415 supplies this command to thecontrol processor 411. The control processor 411 determines that thecommand requests for viewing of the broadcast program data. Theprocessor 411 then supplies the command to the CPU 311 through the PCIbus 20. The CPU 311 sets the command into the PCI interface 217. Notethat the command contains various parameters such as the TV channelnumber, transfer rate (bit rate of the MPEG2 stream), and the like. Oncethe command is set in the PCI interface 217, the TV tuner 211 startsreceiving the broadcast program data. The broadcast program data thusreceived is supplied to the MPEG2 encoder 215. The encoder 215 encodesthe broadcast program data at the transfer rate that is contained in thecommand.

[0068] The broadcast program data, now encoded, is transferred via thePCI bus 20 to the main memory 313. The data is then transferred from themain memory 313 to the control processor 411 of the communicationsmodule 41 through the PCI bus 20. Thus, the broadcast program dataencoded by the MPEG2 encoder 215 is continuously transferred to thecommunications module 41.

[0069] The control processor 411 transfers the encoded broadcast programdata to the wireless LAN device 415 so that the data may be transmittedto the personal computer 103. If the personal computer 103 iscommunicating with a Web server on the Internet 12, the controlprocessor 411 sends the encoded broadcast program data and the Webcontent data received from the Web server to the wireless LAN device 415in a time-divided fashion. The wireless LAN device 415 transmits thebroadcast program data and the Web content data to the personal computer103 in a time-divided fashion. In this case, the control processor 411sends the broadcast program data in preference to the Web content data,in order to transmit the broadcast program data to the personal computer103 in real time. That is, in the data communication between thepersonal computer 103 and the wireless LAN device 415 via the wirelessLAN, a bandwidth (time period), necessary to transmit the broadcastprogram data in real time, is reserved in each time slot (TS), as isillustrated in FIG. 5. The broadcast program data is transmitted to thecomputer 103 during a time period (TV) reserved in each time slot TS,the Web content data is transmitted to the computer 103 during theremaining period (Web) of the each of time slot TS.

[0070] Real-time transfer protocol (RTP), for example, is employed totransmit the broadcast program data. More precisely, the controlprocessor 411 adds a time stamp to each packet of the broadcast programdata. The packets, each with a time stamp, are sent to the wireless LANdevice 415 as data to be transmitted to the personal computer 103.

[0071]FIG. 4 depicts how broadcast program data recorded in HDD 51 istransmitted to the personal computer 103.

[0072] While a broadcast program is being recorded in the HDD 51,another broadcast program may be read from the HDD 51 and sent by radioto the personal computer 103. Further, when a broadcast program is beingrecorded in the HDD 51, the broadcast program may be read from the HDD51 and transmitted to the personal computer 103, starting at the verytime the first part or any other part of the broadcast program has beenrecorded in the HDD 51.

[0073] Assume that the personal computer 103 issues a command forviewing of a broadcast program already recorded in the HDD 51. Then, theCPU 311 determines the transfer rate of the broadcast program recordedin the HDD 51. If the transfer rate exceeds a prescribed rate at whichthe data can be sent by radio in real time, down-conversion isautomatically performed, lowering the transfer rate for the broadcastprogram data. Thereafter, the broadcast program data is transferred tothe communications module 41 via the PCI bus 20. If the transfer rate isequal to or lower than the prescribed rate, the broadcast program datais read from the HDD 51 and transferred to the communications module 41.The down-conversion is not performed.

[0074] How the personal computer 103 simultaneously displays broadcastprogram data and the Web content data, both transmitted by radio, fromthe wireless AV station 101, with reference to FIG. 6.

[0075] As FIG. 6 shows, the personal computer 103 includes a wirelessLAN device 601, an operating system (OS) 602, an MPEG2 decoding software605, a display driver 606, a display controller 607, and a display 608.A WWW (World Wide Web) browser 603, a TV application program 604 andMPEG2 decoding software 605 are installed in the personal computer 103.

[0076] In the personal computer 103, the wireless LAN device 601transfers any data it has received, to the operating system (OS) 602.The OS 602 determines the type of the data from the session IDinformation added to the data, such as the port number. The data is thentransferred to the application program dedicated to this type of data.The Web content data transmitted from a WWW server in the Internet 12 istransferred to the WWW browser 603 that has requested it. The broadcastprogram data is transferred to the TV application program 604 that hasrequested it. The TV application program 604 decodes the broadcastprogram data, in cooperation with the MPEG2 decoding software 605.

[0077] Windows are assigned to the WWW browser 603 and TV applicationprograms, respectively. The Web content data transmitted from the WWWserver is supplied to the display 608 through the display driver 606 anddisplay controller 607. The display 608 displays the content data in oneof the windows on the display 608, which corresponds to the WWW browser603. The broadcast program data is supplied to the display 608 via thedisplay driver 606 and display controller 607, too. The display 608displays the broadcast program data in the window that corresponds tothe TV application programs 604.

[0078] As described above, each window may be freely changed in positionand size by the application program that corresponds to it. As FIG. 6depicts, the window for the WWW browser 603 is a full-size screen,whereas the window for the TV application program 604 is a small screen.The position of the window for the TV application program 604 may bechanged, merely by dragging the mouse device of the personal computer103. Further, the window for the TV application program 604 may bechanged to a full-size screen, if desired or necessary.

[0079]FIG. 7 illustrates how each of the personal computers 103 and 104displays a broadcast program and Web page.

[0080] Assume that the personal computer (PC#1) 103 displays a TVprogram (e.g., program on channel 4, ch=4) being broadcast, whiledisplaying Web content #1. Also assume that the personal computer (PC#2)104 displays a TV program (e.g., program on channel 1, ch=1) alreadyrecorded in the HDD 51, while displaying Web content #2.

[0081] As seen from FIG. 7, the control processor 411 includes anaddress-managing unit 600 and a priority-controlling unit 700. Theaddress-managing unit 600 determines which personal computer hasrequested which broadcast program data. The unit 600 associates thelocal IP address of any personal computer with the broadcast programdata requested by the personal computer. When the unit 600 receivesbroadcast program data from the CPU 311, it transmits the data to thepersonal computer having the local IP address associated with the data.

[0082] The priority-controlling unit 700 controls the data transmissionto each of the personal computers 103 and 104. More specifically, itoperates to transmit the broadcast program data to a personal computerprior to Web content data.

[0083] To make the personal computers 103 and 104 access the Internet12, their local IP addresses are switched to the global IP addressesassigned to the communications module 41, respectively. The datacommunication between any Web server on the Internet 12 and thecommunications module 41 of the wireless AV station 101 is carried outby using the global IP address allocated to the communications module41. The data communication between the communications module 41 and thepersonal computers 103 and 104 is effected by using the local IPaddresses of the personal computers 103 and 104.

[0084] A sequence of steps an information-processing apparatus performsto enable the user to read Web pages via the Internet 12 and enjoy TVbroadcast programs, by using the wireless AV station 101, will beexplained with reference to FIG. 8.

[0085] <Browsing Web pages at PC#1>

[0086] A command for connecting the personal computer (PC#1) 103 to theInternet 12 (e.g., a command for accessing an Internet service provideror a WWW server) is transmitted to the communications module 41 throughthe wireless LAN (Step S1). In response to this command, thecommunications module 41 accesses the Internet 12, connecting thepersonal computer (PC#1) 103 to the Internet 12 (Step S2). The module 41receives Web content data from the Internet 12 (Step S3). Next, themodule 41 transmits the Web content data to the personal computer (PC#1)103 via the wireless LAN (Step S4).

[0087] <Displaying a TV Program at PC#1>

[0088] The personal computer (PC#1) 103 may transmit a commandrequesting a broadcast program. This command is sent to thecommunications module 41 via the wireless LAN (Step S11). Thecommunications module 41 transfers the command to the CPU module 31through the PCI bus 20 (Step S12). The CPU module 31 controls thetuner/MPEG module 21, causing the same to receive, and encode thebroadcast program data requested from the personal computer (PC#1) 103(Step S13). The tuner/MPEG module 21 receives and encodes the broadcastprogram data. The data encoded is transferred to the CPU module 31through the PCI bus 20 (Step S14). The CPU module 31 transfers thebroadcast program data via the PCI bus 20 to the communications module41 (Step S15). The user of the personal computer (PC#1) 103 may requestnot only the displaying of the broadcast program data, but also therecording thereof. If so, the broadcast program data is recorded in theHDD 51. Upon receipt of the broadcast TV program data, thecommunications module 41 transmits the data to the personal computer(PC#1) 103 via the wireless LAN (Step S16). Steps S14, S15 and S16 arerepeatedly performed in order to transmit the broadcast program data,which the wireless AV station 101 is receiving, to the personal computer(PC#1) 103 in real time. In this case, Steps S14, S15 and S16 arecarried out at the same time.

[0089] <Displaying of the TV program Stored in HDD, at PC#2>

[0090] The personal computer (PC#2) 104 generates a command forrequesting a broadcast program. The command is transmitted from thecomputer (PC#2) 104 to the wireless AV station 101 via the wireless LAN.(Step S21). In the wireless AV station 101, the communications module 41transfers the command to the CPU module 31 through the PCI bus 20 (StepS22). If the command requests for broadcast program data stored in theHDD 51, the CPU module 31 reads this data from the HDD 51 and transfersit via the PCI bus 20 to the communications module 41 (Step S23). InStep S23, down-conversion is performed, if necessary, to lower thetransfer rate of the broadcast program data. That is, the CPU module 31determines whether the transfer rate is higher than the prescribed rateat which the data can be sent by radio in real time. If the transferrate is equal to or lower than the prescribed rate, the CPU 31 transfersthe broadcast program data read from the HDD 51, to the communicationsmodule 41 via the PCI bus 20. If the transfer rate higher than theprescribed rate, the CPU module 31 transfers the data to the MPEG2decoder 218. The decoder 218 decodes the data. The data decoded istransferred to the MPEG2 encoder 215. The encoder 215 processes thedata, generating compressed and encoded broadcast program data. Thisbroadcast program data is transferred to the communications module 41through the PCI bus 20. As long as the MPEG2 encoder 215 is encoding anyother broadcast program data, the aforementioned down conversion cannotbe carried out. If this is the case, the communications module 41transmits an error message to the personal computer (PC#2) 104 under thecontrol of the CPU module 31.

[0091] The communications module 41 receives the broadcast program dataand transmits it to the personal computer (PC#2) 104 through thewireless LAN (Step S24). Steps S23 and S24 are repeatedly performed totransmit the broadcast program data to the personal computer (PC#2) 104in real time. Note that Steps S23 and S24 are carried out at the sametime.

[0092] <Browsing Web pages at PC#2>

[0093] Various commands (e.g., command for the connection of thecomputer 104 to the Internet 12, command for accessing a WWW server, andthe like) are sent from the personal computer (PC#2) 104 to the wirelessAV station 101 via the wireless LAN. In the wireless AV station 101,these commands are transferred to the communications module 41 (StepS31). The communications module 41 accesses the Internet 12, connectingthe personal computer (PC#2) 104 to the Internet 12 (Step S32). Thecommunications module 41 may receive Web content data from the Internet12 (Step S33). Then, the module 41 transmits the Web content data to thepersonal computer (PC#2). 104 via the wireless LAN (Step S34).

[0094] As indicated above, in the home network system, the wireless AVstation 101 transmits the Web content data received from the Internet 12and the broadcast program data encoded, in a time-divided fashion, tothe personal computer that has requested the data items. Hence, the Webcontent data and the broadcast program data are transmitted as distinctdata items independent of each other. The personal computer maytherefore display the Web content data and the broadcast program data atthe same time. In addition, the windows in which the Web content dataand broadcast program data are displayed, respectively, may be changedin both position and size as is desired. Moreover, only the broadcastprogram data flows through the PCI bus 20 because the data communicationbetween any personal computer and the Internet 12 travels through thecommunications module 41 without utilizing the PCI bus 20 path. The Webcontent data would then not flow through the PCI bus 20. Thisarrangement prevents an increase in the traffic on the PCI bus 20. Thebroadcast program data, compressed and encoded, may be transferred tothe communication module 41 through the bus 20 at high efficiency.

[0095] As specified above, the control processor 411 provided in thecommunications module 41 receives a command for displaying a broadcastprogram from a personal computer and supplies it to the CPU module 31.Further, the processor 411 controls the process of transmitting the Webcontent data and the broadcast program data in a time divided-fashion.Therefore, the CPU module 31 need not work at all for the access to theInternet 12 or the data communication between the wireless AV station101 and any personal computer. The CPU module 31 needs only to controlthe tuner/MPEG module 21. Hence, the wireless AV station 101 may performcontrols to display broadcast programs on any personal computer even ifthe CPU module 31 is not a high-performance processor.

[0096] In the embodiment described above, personal computers are used tobrowse Web pages and playback broadcast programs. Nonetheless, PDAs andthe like, which can decode compressed and encoded broadcast program dataand can perform wireless communication, may be employed to browse Webpages and playback broadcast programs. Moreover, the wireless LAN device415 that conforms with the IEEE 802.11b standard or the IEEE 802.11astandard may be replaced by, for example, a Bluetooth™ device.

[0097] Additional advantages and modifications will readily occur tothose skilled in the art. Therefore, the invention in its broaderaspects is not limited to the specific details and representativeembodiments shown and described herein. Accordingly, variousmodifications may be made without departing from the sprint or scope ofthe general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims andtheir equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A wireless data-transferring apparatus forperforming wireless communication with an information-processingterminal, comprising: means for receiving broadcast program data; and acommunications control device configured to perform data-transferbetween an external network and the information-processing terminal, inaccordance with requests transmitted by radio signal from theinformation-processing terminal, and to transmit, by radio signal, datareceived from the external network and the broadcast program data to theinformation-processing terminal in a time-divided fashion when thecommunications control device receives the broadcast program dataprovided in the apparatus.
 2. A wireless data-transferring apparatus forperforming wireless communication with an information-processingterminal, comprising: means for receiving broadcast program data; meansfor compression-encoding the broadcast program data received by thereceiving means; and a communications control device configured toperform data-transfer between an external network and theinformation-processing terminal, in accordance with requests transmittedby radio signal from the information-processing terminal, and totransmit, by radio signal, data received from the external network andthe compression-encoded broadcast program data to theinformation-processing terminal in a time-divided fashion when thecommunications control device receives the compression-encoded broadcastprogram data provided in the apparatus.
 3. An apparatus according toclaim 2, wherein the communications control device includes means fortransmitting the compression-encoded broadcast program data prior to thedata received from the external network, so as to transmit the broadcastprogram data in real time.
 4. An apparatus according to claim 2, furtherincluding: a disk storage device which stores the broadcast program datathat has been compression-encoded; and data-transferring means fortransferring the compression-encoded broadcast program data stored inthe disk storage device to the communications control device.
 5. Anapparatus according to claim 4, further including: means for decodingthe compression-encoded broadcast program data stored in the diskstorage device; and means for outputting the broadcast program datadecoded by the decoding means to an external TV receiver.
 6. Anapparatus according to claim 4, wherein the data-transferring meansincludes: down-conversion means for down-converting thecompression-encoded broadcast program data stored in the storage device,lowering a transfer rate of the compression-encoded broadcast programdata to a prescribed transfer rate; and means for transferring thecompression-encoded broadcast program data that has been down-converted,to the communications control device.
 7. An apparatus according to claim6, further, including means for decoding the compression-encodedbroadcast program data stored in the storage device, wherein thedown-conversion means includes means for causing thecompression-encoding means to compress-encode the broadcast program dataagain after the decoding means has decoded the compression-encodedbroadcast program data stored in the storage device, to down-convert thecompression-encoded broadcast program data stored in the storage deviceto the prescribed transfer rate.
 8. An apparatus according to claim 2,wherein the communications control device includes: a wirelesscommunications device which transmits data to and receives data from theinformation-processing apparatus through a wireless network; a networkcontrol device which transmits data to and receives data from theexternal network; and a processor which controls the wirelesscommunications device and the network control device, to control datatransfer between the external network and the information-processingterminal and transmission of the compression-encoded broadcast programdata to the information-processing terminal.
 9. An apparatus accordingto claim 8, further including a CPU that controls the receiving meansand the compression-encoding means, wherein the processor is configuredto communicate with the CPU via a bus, to receive a command forrequesting the broadcast program data from the information-processingterminal via the wireless communication device and to send the commandto the CPU via the bus, and to receive via the bus the broadcast programdata to be transmitted to the information-processing terminal.
 10. Awireless data-transferring apparatus configured to be connected by radioto an information-processing terminal, comprising: a receiving unitwhich receives broadcast program data demanded by a command transmittedvia a wireless network from the information-processing terminal; a CPUwhich controls the receiving unit; and a communications control devicewhich connects the information-processing terminal to an externalnetwork in response to an access command received from theinformation-processing terminal via the wireless network, and whichincludes: a wireless communications device configured to transmit datato and receive data from the information-processing apparatus via thewireless network; a network control device configured to transmit datato and receive data from the external network; and a processor connectedto the CPU by a bus and configured to receive a command for requestingthe broadcast program data, which the wireless communications device hasreceived from the information-processing terminal, to supply the commandto the CPU via the bus, and to control the wireless communicationsdevice to transmit data received from the external network and thebroadcast program data received via the bus, to theinformation-processing terminal in a time-divided fashion through thewireless network.
 11. A wireless data-transferring apparatus configuredto be connected by radio to an information-processing terminal,comprising: a receiving unit which receives broadcast program datademanded by a command transmitted via a wireless network from theinformation-processing terminal; an encoder which compress-encodes thebroadcast program data received by the receiving unit; a CPU whichcontrols the receiving unit and the encoder; and a communicationscontrol device which connects the information-processing terminal to anexternal network in response to an access command received from theinformation-processing apparatus via the wireless network, and whichincludes: a wireless communications device configured to transmit datato and receive data from the information-processing apparatus via thewireless network; a network control device configured to transmit datato and receive data from the external network; and a processor connectedto the CPU by a bus and configured to receive a command for requestingthe broadcast program data, which the wireless communications device hasreceived from the information-processing terminal, to supply the commandto the CPU via the bus, and to control the wireless communicationsdevice to transmit data received from the external network and thebroadcast program data compression-encoded by the encoder and receivedvia the bus, to the information-processing terminal in a time-dividedfashion through the wireless network.
 12. An apparatus according toclaim 11, wherein the processor controls the wireless communicationsdevice to transmit the broadcast program data that has beencompression-encoded, prior to the data received from the externalnetwork, in order to transmit the broadcast program data to theinformation-processing terminal in real time.
 13. A wirelessdata-transferring apparatus for performing wireless communication withan information-processing terminal, comprising: a receiving unit toreceive broadcast program data; and a communications control deviceconfigured to perform data-transfer between an external network and theinformation-processing terminal, in accordance with requests transmittedby radio signal from the information-processing terminal, and totransmit, by radio signal, data received from the external network andthe broadcast program data to the information-processing terminal in atime-divided fashion when the communications control device receives thebroadcast program data provided in the apparatus.
 14. A wirelessdata-transferring apparatus for performing wireless communication withan information-processing terminal, comprising: a receiving unit toreceive broadcast program data; an encoder to compress-encode thebroadcast program data received by the receiving unit; and acommunications control device configured to perform data-transferbetween an external network and the information-processing terminal, inaccordance with requests transmitted by radio signal from theinformation-processing terminal, and to transmit, by radio signal, datareceived from the external network and the compression-encoded broadcastprogram data to the information-processing terminal in a time-dividedfashion when the communications control device receives thecompression-encoded broadcast program data provided in the apparatus.15. An apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the communicationscontrol device includes a transmitter to transmit thecompression-encoded broadcast program data prior to the data receivedfrom the external network, so as to transmit the broadcast program datain real time.
 16. An apparatus according to claim 14, further including:a disk storage device which stores the broadcast program data that hasbeen compression-encoded; and a data-transferring unit to transfer thecompression-encoded broadcast program data stored in the disk storagedevice to the communications control device.
 17. An apparatus accordingto claim 16, further including: a decoder to decode thecompression-encoded broadcast program data stored in the disk storagedevice; and an output unit to output the broadcast program data decodedby the decoder to an external TV receiver.
 18. An apparatus according toclaim 16, wherein the data-transferring unit includes: a down-conversionunit to down-convert the compression-encoded broadcast program datastored in the storage device, lowering a transfer rate of thecompression-encoded broadcast program data to a prescribed transferrate; and a transferring unit to transfer the compression-encodedbroadcast program data that has been down-converted, to thecommunications control device.
 19. An apparatus according to claim 18,further including a decoder to decode the compression-encoded broadcastprogram data stored in the storage device, wherein the down-conversionunit causes the encoder to compress-encode the broadcast program dataagain after the decoder has decoded the compression-encoded broadcastprogram data stored in the storage device, in order to down-convert thecompression-encoded broadcast program data stored in the storage deviceto the prescribed transfer rate.
 20. An apparatus according to claim 14,wherein the communications control device includes: a wirelesscommunications device which transmits data to and receives data from theinformation-processing apparatus through a wireless network; a networkcontrol device which transmits data to and receives data from theexternal network; and a processor which controls the wirelesscommunications device and the network control device, to control datatransfer between the external network and the information-processingterminal and transmission of the compression-encoded broadcast programdata to the information-processing terminal.
 21. An apparatus accordingto claim 20, further including a CPU that controls the receiving unitand the encoder, wherein the processor is configured to communicate withthe CPU via a bus, to receive a command for requesting the broadcastprogram data from the information-processing terminal via the wirelesscommunication device and to send the command to the CPU via the bus, andto receive via the bus the broadcast program data to be transmitted tothe information-processing terminal.
 22. A wireless data-transferringapparatus, comprising: means for receiving broadcast program data; meansfor receiving data from an external network; and means for wirelesslyoutputting simultaneously the broadcast program data and the data fromthe external network in a time-divided fashion by radio.
 23. A wirelessdata-transferring apparatus, comprising: means for receiving broadcastprogram data; means for receiving data from an external network; meansfor compression-encoding the broadcast program data received by thereceiving means; and means for wirelessly outputting simultaneously thebroadcast program data compression-encoded by the compression-encodingmeans and the data from the external network in a time-divided fashionby radio.
 24. A wireless data-transferring apparatus, comprising: asystem bus; means for receiving broadcast program data connected to thesystem bus; means for receiving data from an external network connectedto the system bus; and wireless communication means for receiving thebroadcast program data from the means for receiving broadcast programdata via the system bus, and for receiving the data from the externalnetwork from the means for receiving data from the external networkwithout passing through the system bus.
 25. A wireless data-transferringapparatus, comprising: a first receiver to receive broadcast programdata; a second receiver to receive data from an external network; and awireless transmitter to transmit simultaneously the broadcast programdata and the data from the external network in a time-divided fashion byradio.
 26. A wireless data-transferring apparatus, comprising: a firstreceiver to receive broadcast program data; a second receiver to receivedata from an external network; an encoder to compress-encode thebroadcast program data received by the first receiver; and a wirelesstransmitter to transmit simultaneously the broadcast program datacompression-encoded by the encoder and the data from the externalnetwork in a time-divided fashion by radio.
 27. A wirelessdata-transferring apparatus, comprising: a system bus; a first receiver,to receive broadcast program data, connected to the system bus; a secondreceiver, to receive data from an external network, connected to thesystem bus; a wireless communication module to receive the broadcastprogram data from the first receiver via the system bus, and to receivethe data from the external network from the second receiver withoutpassing through the system bus.